Tournament of Gimmicks Updated Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Updated Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Updated Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Sweet Sixteen Update

Here's a Sweet Sixteen update in the Beckett and Olbermann regions of the Tournament of Gimmicks. Includes interviews with Stale Gum's Chris Harris and Dave the Cardboard Junkie. You still have time to vote in the Sweet Sixteen if you haven't already...
BECKETT REGION
OLBERMANN REGION
BERGER REGION

Tournament of Gimmicks Updated Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Complete Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Berger Region Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Olbermann Region Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Burdick Region Bracket

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Tournament of Gimmicks Update

Here's a wrap up of the Beckett and Olbermann regions and an interview with tournament and Stale Gum founder Chris Harris.

Tournament of Gimmicks Update: Olbermann Region

Here's a live update of the Olbermann Region. Second round begins Thursday!
BURDICK REGION
OLBERMANN REGION
BERGER REGION

Tournament of Gimmicks Update: Beckett Region

Here's a live update of the Beckett Region. REMEMBER, THERE'S STILL TIME TO VOTE FOR THE WORST BASEBALL CARD GIMMICKS OF ALL TIME!
BURDICK REGION
OLBERMANN REGION
BERGER REGION

Tournament of Gimmicks: Round One, Day Two

Remember, you are picking the WORST gimmick in each game.

And don't forget to fill out your Burdick, Olbermann and Berger regions as well.

Game #5
2) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #SQ1 Poley Walnuts

For some reason Topps thought a stealth card of a squirrel climbing a foul pole would drive collectors to buy more packs of '07 U&H. It just drove us nuts. And of course Poley Walnuts plays for the Yankees. Of course he does.

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15) eTopps

The idea is you can buy, sell and trade your cards completely online without ever having to deal with the pesky physical possession of your cards. You know, if that type of thing puts you off. To be honest, the way some of these cards look, you'll be glad they are hundreds of miles away from you in some hyperbolic chamber in New York's outskirts. But it inspired the Million Card Giveaway and Topps really did strike gold with that.

Game #6
7) 2010 Upper Deck Double-Take Variations

Does anyone at Upper Deck really believe that someone is a) going to find out what all the meaningless little photo variations are? and b) going to actually attempt to collect them all? Oh, right.

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10) 1986-90, 1994-96 Sportflics

Sportflics, we hardly knew ye. Although you have to admit, a couple of pricey cards with full color backs in a foil pack in 1986 was decades ahead of it's time. Talk about your Hot Tub Time Machine. And of course Sportflics became Score and look at what they did for the hobby. No, I'm serious. I miss Score.

Game #7
6) 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #312 Joba Chamberlain "Astros"

Believe it or not, there once was an innocent time when Joba the Hutt was the next coming. And he was a Yankee no less. Topps immediately went into cash money mode and saw fit to release not just this gimmick but this one as well. Why the Astros? Maybe Topps wanted to fool Yankees fans into thinking Joba pulled a Clemens.

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11) 1982 Fleer #438 "All" Hrabosky 5' 1"

In a set riddled with error cards the Al Hrabosky was certainly not in the category of this but was close. So Fleer fixes his name, then forgets The Mad Hungarian is definitely not 5'1" if he's an inch. The result, three different variations of the Hrabosky card with the one pictured above being the rarest.

Game #8
3) "Franken-Cuts"

Just when everyone started wetting their pants over unlicensed Razor cut sigs of dead presidents and ballplayers we found out the whole thing was a scam and get this, the autograph verification services we getting a "cut", literally. Now you couldn't sell one these frauds to someone's grandmother for a dime. Thank goodness this whole mess was exposed.

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14) 1999 Topps #220 & #461 Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa

To celebrate Big Mac and Sammy Soser steroiding their way toward one of baseball most hallowed numbers Topps released 70 and 66 different variations of their respective base cards. Seriously? I hope to kingdom come no one beats Barry.

You have until Thursday at Midnight (ET) to vote.

Tournament of Gimmicks: Round One, Day One

Remember, you are picking the WORST gimmick in each game.

Game #1
8) 1996 Finest (Fractured Base Sets)

As if high end wasn't expensive or difficult enough.

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9) 1998 Pacific Aurora Cubes

One of many reasons why Pacific no longer makes cards.

Game #2
1) 2008 Topps Heritage #440 "Jon" Smoltz

Just when everyone was starting to really enjoy Heritage, Topps upped the ante by creating gimmicked super short printed "error" cards, or more accurately, let's misspell a popular player's name, or put the wrong team on his card, print just enough for people to notice and watch eBay burn up with obsessive set completists. Sane collectors ignored these cynical money grabs by Topps.

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16) 1995 Topps D3

Topps' foray into "three dimensional" cards give collectors headaches in more ways than one.

Game #3

5) 1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie

Whether by accident or design, the Nap Lajoie card became one of the scarcest and most sought after in collecting history. Some claim Goudey omitted the star from it's set as a gimmick to get youngsters to buy more packs. Goudey insisted it was a honest mistake. Either way, the only people lucky enough to find that darn Nap were those persistent enough to send a letter of complaint to Goudey and those fortunate few would finally receive that magical card #106. Unclaimed Naps were destroyed at the factory. Today that same card fetches in the neighborhood of $30,000 at auction.

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12) 2001 Sweet Spot #JIS Ichiro "Game-Used" Jersey

Ichiro cards were red hot in 2001 and if you thought this was a real regular season game used jersey I have some real estate in Hong Kong to sell you. It's from '99 spring training. Don't worry. Upper Deck's lips are sealed.

Game #4
4) 2006 Topps #297 Alex Gordon

Few cards in the history of collecting have pissed off more collectors harder for longer then the 2006 Topps Alex Gordon. Legend has it that the card was hastily pulled/destroyed when Topps was advised that the card voided MLB's new rookie card rules and Topps could possibly lose it's license. A few had already entered the marketplace and a feeding frenzy ensued led by none other than celebrity collector Keith Olbermann who under different usernames began mortgaging his mansion to buy up whatever Gordons popped up on eBay. When the orgy ended some claimed Olbermann spent over $35,000 for seven Gordons. Now let me get this straight. MLB adopted strict new rookie card rules and limited the number of card releases to clean up the hobby. And this was the result? Fantastic. All the ill will Topps engendered to the hobby did not stop them from unleashing a gimmick onslaught in the years that followed. Many cynics believe that the Gordon was done on purpose to encourage sales of '06 Topps but so many loyal set collectors were turned off it had the opposite effect with many quitting for good. How's that for irony/karma? Oh and the Yo Mamma Gordon in '10 Topps has not exactly patched things over with some hobbyists.

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13) 1995-99 Finest peel-off protectors.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Cards were meant to be held and your hand and savored. Shrink wrap is for frozen meat.

You have until Wednesday at Midnight (ET) to vote.